Cooking-kit broiler.



W. W. STOPPLE. COOKING KIT BROILER. APPLICATION FILED AUG. a, 1913.

1,095,970, Patented May 5. 19M

- WW 25g (Ittornegs LOLUMHIA I'LANOGRAPH CD.,WASHINGTON, 0. c4

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFIG.

WALTER W. STOPFLE, OF ALMA, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO STOPPLE KOOK KIT COMPANY, OF ALMA, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

COOKING-KIT BROILER.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WALTER W. S'rorrLE, citizen of the United States, residing at Alma, in the county of Gratiot and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cooking-Kit Broilers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in broilers for cooking kits and the like, such as may be used upon my co-pending application No. 623,685, which was allowed Feb. 19, 1913, and an object of the invention is to provide an improved broiler which shall be collapsible so as to be carried in a pocket should it be desired to use the same in conjunction with the kit as disclosed in the above mentioned application. 1

A further object of the invention is to provide a broiler with universally mounted legs in the corners thereof, the broiler being foldable for the purpose of packing, and provided with means for supporting the broiler along the folded portion.

A further object of the invention is to provide a broiler with slidably mounted legs so disposed as to support the broiler upon hard and stony ground where the legs cannot be forced into the ground for the purpose of holding the broiler.

A further object of the invention is to provide a broiler foldable longitudinally, one of the sides of said broiler being wider and longer than the other so that when the broiler is folded the smaller portion will fit within the larger, and be clamped by a suitable bail.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a foldable broiler so disposed that the pointed legs which are used for supporting the same are contained bet-ween the folded portions and to so shape the folding portions of the broiler as to present rounded edges to a cloth pocket, so that no wearing or tearing will be experienced in carrying the folded broiler in a pocket.

\Vith these and other objects in view the invention comprises certain novel constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 9, 1913.

Patented May 5, 1914.

Serial No. 784,010.

In the drawings, wherein I have shown a convenient embodiment of the invention and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts: Figure 1 is a plan View of the broiler in folded position or closed position, while the open position is shown in dotted lines, the view had in connection with dotted lines being a bottom plan. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view showing the top locking means secured to the folding portions of the broiler. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one corner showing leg attached thereto. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken through the folded broiler, as shown in Fig. 1 (full lines) taken on line 44: on Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan View of a modified form of the invention.

I know that it has been proposed heretofore to provide a folding broiler with legs hinged to the corners, but such hinging prevents universal movement of the legs about the frame of the broiler which movement is highly desirable when it is remembered that the broiler may be used in very stony ground, where the hinged legs would not give the same range of use as is had with the broiler comprising the subject matter of this invention. IVhile universally mounted legs are shown upon my allowed application referred to above, yet it is necessary in the invention disclosed in said application to use auxiliary legs at the hinge connecting the folded portions of the broiler, whereas the present inventioncontemplates the use of locking means secured to one of the folding portions and engaging the other, to hold the broiler substantially in a plane when the same is erected for use. In said allowed application there is also provided a bail very similar to the one shown herein, except that in that application the bail is not provided with any hook for locking the hinged portions of the broiler together. The portions of the bail in said application are identical with the portions of the bail shown herein, with the exception of the look.

In order to disclose the construction of the present invention reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, where one of several possible arrangements of the invention is shown, but I wish it understood that certain variations in the construction of the broiler may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings, the frame of the broiler is shown as comprising a substantially rectangular wire frame 1 and a second wire frame 2 hinged to the first mentioned wire frame, the second wire frame being of less width and length than the frame 1. Frame 1 is provided with cross bars 21 forming a grate, while the frame 2 is provided with similar cross bars st. As shown in Fig. 4 these bars 3 and 1 may be made of wire, and secured to the top parts of the wire frames 1 and 2 when the broiler is erected for use, a convenient method of securing these bars 3 and 1; to their respective frames being to weld the same either electrically or in any other desired manner. Pivoted to the outer side of wire frame 1 is a bail provided with eyes or hooks (3 designed to surround the wire frame 1, these eyes terminating in a straight portion 7 of suiticient length to allow the portions 8, which are substantially at right angles to the portion 7, to extend over the smaller frame 2 when the broiler is folded in the position shown in Fig. 4. The outer end of the bail 5 is provided with a hook 9 which is designed to spring over the nine edge of thewire frame 1 and bind the two portions of the broiler together when the same is folded for transportation. As shown in Fig. 1 the sides 8 are spaced sufficiently to receive a suitable receptacle indicated at 10 by dotted lines, which receptacle may be held in place by the bail and may hold water to be heated by the fire while food is being cooked upon the top of the broiler.

Each of the corners of the broiler is provided with a brace 11, these braces being formed upon the same side of the wire frame as the cross bars 3 and 4; and preferably stand up from the wire frame as shown in Fig. 3. The legs 12 are each provided attheir upper end with an eye 13 somewhat larger than the brace 11, which passes through the eye, and by referring to the showing in F 1 it will be seen that the base is formed of a wire having sides bent substantially at right angles and having the ends of the brace welded to the frame so that by reason of the eyes formed in the legs the latter have practically universal movement with respect to the wire frame. The legs are made of such length that when the broiler is folded the ends of said legs will lie Within the shorter sides of the frames to which they are secured. By referring to Fig. 3 itwill be seen that the straight por tion of the legs are designed to pass through the space between the brace 11 and the corners of the wire frames with the turned portion forming the hook being bent inwardly. Inasmuch as the braces are above the wire frame, it will be seen that a natural brace is formed when the legs are extended, as shown in Fig. 3, which arrangement is desirable in stony ground, or where it is desired to build a fire upon a rock. The legs are preferably made of wire of substantially the same thickness as frames 1 and 2 and inasmuch as the brace 11 and cross bars 3 and 4 are formed upon the edges of the frames when the latter are folded, as shown in Fig. 1, it will be possible to fold the legs so that the same lie between the parallel. cross bars 3 and 4:. The length of one of the sides of the brace 11 is also made sutl'iciently long to enable the leg to be spaced suitciently from one side of the fran'ie to accommodate the leg secured to the brace formed on the opposite end of the same side. Also, inasmuch as the side 2 is made of less width than side 1 the legs when folded to the side 1 will lie outside of the folded legs secured to the part 2. A desirable arrangement, such as shown in Fig. 4, is to have the outer side of the narrower portion 2 rest on the tops of the folded legs secured to the wider portion 1. in this way the pointed ends of the legs are kept from projecting beyond the sides of the folded broiler and it will be possible to carry the broiler in a pocket, the corners of the broiler being rounded if desired to prevent tearing of the pocket.

To provide means for hinging the two sections of the wire frame together, f secure to the smaller frame 2 wire loops 14, these loops being secured to certain of the cross bars 4tand have their ends shaped to form eyes surrounding the inner adjacent sides of the wire frames 1 and 2, so that when it is desired to fold the broiler the side of the frame 1 contained in the eyes will rotate within the hook 14L. Obviously, other forms of hinges may be used, but the form disclosed herein is convenient, and by having the opposite eyes of each of the hooks surround one of the cross bars, practically all relative movement between the two hinged sections is prevented. lVhen in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and a weight: of any description, such as food, is resting upon the top of the broiler, the abutting ends of the bars 3 and 4 engage one another and serve to form braces to keep the broiler flat and prevent the same from being pressed downwardly along the line of hinging.

In ordinary use the broiler is set up and the pointed legs stuck into the ground, after which a suitable receptacle, such as mentioned and shown at 10 in dotted lines, may be inserted in the bail 5, this receptacle serving either to contain water to be heated or assist in supporting the broiler, although this latter function is not considered of much importance, inasmuch as the legs are sufliciently strong to support the broiler. If it be desired to have the top of the broiler near the fire it will be necessary merely to extend the legs substantially in a position shown in which position may also be used in case the ground is too hard to receive the wire legs. While this broiler may be used independently for cooking food on camping trips, etc., yet itmay be used as a grate in an improvised stone fire place also.

As shown in the modified form illustrated in Fig. 5, one of the hinged members of the broiler may be provided with a bar 15, each end of which is provided with a head 16 which prevents the eye 17 of the shorter side 18 of the broiler section from sliding off the bar 15. In order that the other half of the hinged broiler may be secured to the bar 15, and held against bending, each end is bent as shown at 19, the bend ending in an outturned portion 20 adapted to lie over the bar 18. From this it will be seen that when the broiler is set up, any weight resting upon the extended frame will force the projecting end 20 against the bar 18 to hold the two sections of the foldable broiler in rigid position. The cross bars for the frames are made substantially parallel with the bar 15, and are indicated at 21, there being fewer of these bars than in the preferred form of the invention, wherein the cross bars run substantially perpendicular to the length of the folded bar. In this modified form, the legs 22 are hinged to the frame of the broiler by providing one end thereof with an ordinary eye 23, which is larger than the wire forming the frame, for the purpose of allowing the leg to move universally with respect to the frame, from which it will be seen that the leg 22 upon one of the members may be moved along the outer edge of the frame for the full length of said frame. One side may be provided with a bail for the purpose of receiving a supporting receptacle and so positioned that when the broiler is folded the hook on the bail will engage the bar 15 to hold the folded sections together with the legs 22 between the folded sections. In order that the legs may be contained within the broiler when the same is folded, said legs are slightly longer than the length of one section of the foldable broiler, so that the end of each of the legs which may be pointed if desired, will lock against the opposite short side of the hinged section to which it is pivoted.

the corners of the broiler,

I claim 1. A broiler of the class described, comprlsing hinged. sectlons,

braces carried 1n and legs slidably mounted upon said braces.

2. A broiler of the class described, comprising hinged frames, braces secured to the tops of the frames in the corners of the broiler when extended in use, and legs slidably mounted upon said braces.

3. A broiler of the class described, comprising hinged frames, braces formed in the corners of the broiler and extending above the frame, and legs provided with eyes lying upon one side of said legs, said eyes surrounding the brace,the straight portions of the legs passing between the brace and the frame.

4. A broiler of the class described, comprising hinged frames, cross bars secured to the top sides of the said frames when in eX- tended position, braces secured in the cork ners' of the broiler, and carried by the top side of the frames when in extended posi. tion, and legs the upper endsof which are hingedly connected to said braces adapted to lie between the cross bars and braces when the broiler is folded.

5. A cooking kit broiler consisting of a frame, legs independent of each other for the frame, and means carried by the legs encircling'and loosely engaging the frame, the legs being movable along the frame and adapted to swing laterally and longitudinally thereof and independent of each other.

6. A. cooking kit broiler consisting of a substantially rectangular frame, legs independent of each other located one adjacent each corner of the frame, and means carried by the legs encircling and loosely engaging the rectangular frame, the means carried by the legs adjacent each corner adapted to move to both sides of said adjacent corner of the frame, the legs adapted to swing laterally and longitudinally of the frame and independently of each other.

In testimony whereof I affix my signa' ture in presence of two witnesses.

IVALTER W. STOPPLE.

Vitnesses:

RENA M. Bronson, V. E. RICHARD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C." 

